Opposites Attract
by poisonesse
Summary: Written for TheElegantFaerie's Magical Doppelgänger Challenge. When Elena finds out that her role as the doppelganger gives her magical blood, she and Bonnie get invited to Hogwarts, while the others come along to offer protection. Full summary inside.
1. Magical Bloodline

**Opposites Attract. **

**WRITTEN FOR TheElegantFaerie's MAGICAL DOPPELGANGER CHALLENGE. **

**Summary: When Elena finds out that the Doppelgänger has the ability to perform magic through the Petrova bloodline, she and Bonnie both get invitations to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as seventh year students. Dumbledore also decides to invite Stefan, Damon, Alaric, Caroline, Jeremy and Tyler to protect both Elena and Harry Potter. Slightly AU- set during the Trio's seventh year, but sixth year never happened. They are all living happily at Hogwarts with no attack from Voldemort... yet. Set during season 2 of The Vampire Diaries- the gang know about the doppelgänger and the 'Sun and Moon Curse', but don't know about Klaus... yet. Lexi never died in season one, she just skipped town. **

**Pairings: Elena/Draco, Damon/Luna, Stefan/Lexi, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Alaric/Jenna, Bonnie/Jeremy, Caroline/Tyler. **

**A/N: All right, hi, everyone! Before you go on about how I'm starting yet another story when I have unfinished ones out there, I'm going to tell you that this is for TheElegantFaerie's Magical Doppelgänger Challenge, and when I saw it, I just had to write it straight away. The idea is awesome. So, I can honestly say that the only thing that belongs to me is the writing. Nothing else. Got that? Awesome! On with the story. **

**Chapter One. **

_Dear Diary,  
>Strange things have been happening- even more strange than usual. I've started doing things that a normal human like me shouldn't be able to do- things that only someone like Bonnie and her family should be able to do. The other day, I dropped one of Aunt Jenna's best glasses in the kitchen- but, before I could react, it started piecing itself back together again. And then earlier today made a glass of water dump itself over Jenna's head just by thinking about it. It's weird. Maybe I'm going crazy... or maybe it's something do with being the doppelgänger. I just don't know. I don't want to speak to Stefan or Damon or Caroline or even Bonnie about it- they'd <em>definitely _think I'm crazy. Or would they? Surely Stefan, even with us being broken up, wouldn't judge me like that... and Bonnie definitely wouldn't. But would Damon? Probably. Oh, I don't know what I should do! I'm so confused... I hope this will all clear up soon. Hopefully, it won't end with me being locked up in a mental asylum.  
>Love, Elena. <em>

Elena looked down at her diary entry and sighed, closing the blue book. It seemed that her diary was the only thing she could confide in about this stuff. Why did everything have to be so confusing? Why couldn't everything just be normal, like it used to be?

But she knew that was a lot to ask for, to be normal again. Sighing once more, Elena rolled over and moved off her bed, running a hand through her dark hair and eyeing the clock. Five-thirty pm. She'd been up in her room, deep in thought and writing in her diary, for forty-five minutes. _Better get downstairs and face the music, _Elena thought to herself, frowning as she remembered the incident with Jenna and the glass of water. She still wasn't too sure how that had happened...

It was at that moment that a tapping noise came from her window. She whirled, startled, and her eyes widened when she saw what was at her window.

An owl. A large, snow-white owl was pecking impatiently at her window, looking as if it wanted to be let in. Elena stared at it incredulously. What the hell? Didn't owls only come out at night? What was this, another of Damon's bird tricks?

She snorted. Like she was going to fall for it again. Holding her chin up stubbornly, Elena crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, marching over to her bedroom door with the intent of going downstairs. But she stopped with her hand on the doorknob when the pecking noise only got louder- as if the owl was somehow desperate to get inside her room. Elena turned to examine it again, a weary look on her face. It stared right back at her with beady eyes that looked more calm than a normal animal's should.

After a few seconds, Elena realized that she was basically having a staring contest with a bird, and she straightened up and let her arms fall to her sides, feeling ridiculous.

She walked back over to her window and opened it, waving her arms about, trying to shoo the owl away- no matter how silly she looked. The bird was starting to freak her out.

But, to Elena's shock and frustration, the bird didn't go away. Quite the opposite, in fact. It flew right into her room through the open window as if it had been invited, its great wings flapping chilly air into Elena's face as she stared at it, mouth open.

'No!' she hissed at it, waving her arm towards the window. 'Shoo! Get out! Go on, ge- wait, what's this?'

Elena now saw something that she hadn't noticed before, something that was clutched in the owl's claws; a letter, in a yellowing envelope that was sealed with red wax. Hesitantly, she reached her arm out and, before the bird had a chance to peck at her hand, snatched the letter away. The owl did nothing; merely fixed her with another calm, beady-eyed stare as she eyed the letter with caution.

She was surprised, of course, to find that the letter was addressed to her. Even more surprised to find that the address scrawled neatly on the front of the envelope was _Elena Gilbert, third bedroom to the left, second floor, Gilbert Household, 19 Fell Street, Mystic Falls, Virginia, America_. She raised her eyebrows; who put an address that accurate and long-winded on their letters?

Elena was by now confident that Damon hadn't controlled a bird to send her a letter. Would he really do something like this? Well... maybe. But, for some reason, Elena knew that the bird and the letter did not belong to Damon. This was someone, some_thing_ else.

She flipped the letter over, examining the wax seal. It was red, imprinted with the image of a grand castle and the words _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _Now both of Elena's eyebrows shot up. Okay, seriously? Maybe this wasn't a prank from Damon- maybe it was a prank from _Bonnie_. A school of witchcraft and wizardry? Definitely Bonnie's style.

Chuckling lightly, but also nervously, Elena tore open the envelope and pulled the letter out, scanning its contents and then raising an eyebrow again.

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
>Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore<br>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock,  
>Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) <em>

_Dear Miss Gilbert, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will receive a visit from Headmaster Dumbledore shortly after you receive this letter. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
>Term begins on September 1. We await your reply no later than July 31. <em>

_Yours sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall,  
>Deputy Headmistress. <em>

Elena stared at the words, before letting out a shaky, 'What... the... hell?'

A prank from Bonnie, maybe- but it sure was an elaborate one. Supreme Mugwump? Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Headmaster Dumbledore? Right. It seemed strange that Bonnie could make up all of this on her own- perhaps she had help from Caroline.

_Or perhaps she didn't write this at all, _a voice in the back of Elena's mind whispered.

Elena remembered all the strange things that had been happening to her; the glass repairing itself, the water dropping itself all over Jenna's head just because Elena had, just for a moment, willed it to. Surely it couldn't have anything to do with... this?

And why was it so brief, the letter? It hardly explained things, like any normal letter would do. But... well, this couldn't exactly be classed as a normal letter, could it? Delivered by owl, and going on about magic and witchcraft.

After a moment or two of internal debate, Elena pulled out her cell phone and dialled Bonnie's number, dropping the letter carefully on her messy bed. If anyone knew what to do about this kind of stuff, it would be Bonnie...

The young witch picked up after Elena had dialled twice. 'Hello?' Bonnie asked, sounding weary.

'Bonnie,' Elena sighed in relief that her friend had picked up. 'I need to ask you something...'

'Sorry, Elena, but can it wait? I... I'm a little busy at the moment...'

'Why? Has something happened?' the frown returned to Elena's face.

'Well... you see, I just got this letter. A really, really weird letter,'

Elena froze in shock; she very nearly dropped the phone. 'You too?' she demanded after a short pause, chocolate eyes wide.

'What do you mean, _you too_?' Bonnie asked. 'You mean... you got a letter, too? I... I don't think ours is the same, Elena. Mine says something about a magic school-'

'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?' Elena pressed, suddenly excited. If Bonnie claimed to have gotten the letter, it could mean one of two things; one, Bonnie was definitely playing a prank on her, extending it by pretending to have gotten a letter also. Two; Hogwarts was real, and both of the girls had been chosen to attend.

'Yes,' Elena could hear the shock in Bonnie's voice. 'You got it, too?'

'Haven't you gathered that?' Elena grinned. 'Now would be the time to tell me, by the way, if this is some prank you've pulled,'

'Prank? Um, no. This isn't a prank, Elena,'

'Well, then...' the grin slowly faded from Elena's face. 'What- _agh_!'

A loud crack from downstairs, audible even from Elena's room, interrupted her question, and this time, she _did_ drop the phone. Bonnie's frantic voice could be heard from the other end, urgently repeating Elena's name, but Elena ignored it and stared at her bedroom door. What the-?

A shriek came immediately after the crack, presumably from Aunt Jenna, followed by the sound of a male voice trying to comfort her.

Slowly, Elena balled her hands into fists- as if that could do much good against an intruder, much less a vampire- and walked out of her room, creeping down the stairs and making at little noise as possible. It was unlikely that she would be able to sneak up on a vampire, true, but she could always try.

Elena crept into the living room, prepared to have to fight for her life, but ended up straightening up and feeling like a fool when she saw what the intruder actually looked like- despite the fact that he had his arms extended, albeit in a comforting manner, towards a cowering Jenna.

It was an old man who had entered the Gilbert Household, with long silver hair and a matching beard. He wore strange, robe-like garments, which were a deep blue colour and were decorated with silver stars. Perched on his crooked nose was a pair of half-moon spectacles, and he had a wise look in his blue eyes- they almost looked like they were twinkling as he turned to look at Elena, a kind smile on his wrinkled face. 'Hello, Miss Gilbert,' he greeted, seeming to forget the terrified-looking Jenna. 'How lovely it is to see you. I do believe we have certain matters so discuss... shall we?'

'Who are you?' Elena asked, trying to put hardness into her voice but finding that she couldn't act even slightly threateningly to this old man. He just seemed too... innocent.

'Ah, forgive me,' the old man said, 'my memory is fading as my age increased. My name is Albus Dumbledore- I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'

Elena blinked, dumbfounded. 'What?' she asked blankly.

'I apologize for the shock that you must surely have received upon getting your letter,' Albus Dumbledore said with a smile.

'You... Hogwarts is real?'

'I apologize for the shock,' Dumbledore repeated, taking a seat on the sofa and patting the two spaces next to him. 'Please, take a seat, and we shall talk about these matters comfortably.'

_Take a seat_. Elena, once again, blinked in shock. Albus Dumbledore was speaking like it was _his_ home that Elena and Jenna were in.

Jenna was the first to react. 'How the hell did you do that, appear out of thin air?' she demanded. 'And what's all this about a Hogwarts School?'

'Ah,' Dumbledore said, 'I take it that Miss Gilbert here has not yet shown you the letter?'

Slowly, Jenna turned to face Elena, her expression stony. 'No,' she ground out through gritted teeth, 'Miss Gilbert _hasn't_ shown me the letter. But I advise that she does- _right now_.'

Elena swallowed, feeling sheepish. 'I'll, uh... I'll go get it,' she announced, before turning and sprinting back up the stairs. She went past Jeremy's room, briefly wondering whether he had heard the crack and the voices downstairs, and went stumbling into her own room. She took a deep breath, going to her bed and picking up the letter carefully.

So the letter wasn't a lie, wasn't a prank. It was real. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was real. And, apparently, Elena was meant to go there.

_This makes no sense, _Elena thought dizzily, putting a hand to her forehead.

Maybe it was a dream. Maybe all of this was just a crazy and vivid dream that Elena would soon wake up from and forget.

_It's not a dream, _a voice in her mind whispered. _So, Elena Faye Gilbert, get it together and get your ass back downstairs! _

She took another deep, calming breath, and then steeled herself, and turned to walk back downstairs. When she re-entered the living room, Jenna was sitting next to Dumbledore in silence. Wordlessly and with hands that shook slightly, Elena presented her aunt with the letter. She snatched it out of her hand and read through it, eyes widening and disbelieving noises escaping her every few seconds. When she was finished, she looked back up and glanced hastily between Dumbledore and Elena.

'Seriously?' she asked incredulously.

'Quite,' Dumbledore replied in an almost grave manner.

'That... that...' Jenna spluttered. 'That's ridiculous!' she jabbed a finger rudely at Dumbledore. 'Leave my house, now. I have no idea who you are, but-'

'Jenna!' Elena interrupted, appalled.

'And you are in _trouble, _young lady!' Jenna hissed, turning on her niece. 'Why didn't you tell me about this?'

'I only just got it!'

Jenna snorted, a wild look in her eyes. 'Yeah, right!'

'I did!' Elena insisted, then she paused. 'Jenna, are you okay?'

'Do you _think _I'm okay?' Jenna seethed.

And then Elena's aunt fainted.

'Oh, dear,' Dumbledore said as Elena let out a shriek and fussed over Jenna's unconscious form. 'That is most unfortunate, but entirely expected. Not many muggles react well to the news that their child- niece, in this case- has magical powers,'

Elena shook her head, looking back at the old man, exasperated. 'Would you mind helping, please? And also explaining why you're here? And... what's a muggle?'

Dumbledore smiled, eyes definitely twinkling this time.

****OA** **

'So, I'm a witch,' Elena stated flatly once Dumbledore had finished his rather long-winded explanation.

'In short, yes,' the old man gave a kind smile. 'You are taking this rather well- presumably because you are already accustomed to the weird and the wonderful, what, with your involvement with vampires,'

'Yeah, I guess,' Elena nodded. 'And I'm a witch because magical blood runs through the Petrova bloodline and gives magical powers to the doppelgänger?'

'Essentially. I must say, Miss Gilbert, that your ability to grasp the facts is marvellous,' Dumbledore's smile broadened.

Elena frowned slightly, not sure whether he was being genuine or sarcastic. The old man had already shown that he had a sense of humour about him. But Elena liked him; he had helped her move her aunt up to her bedroom using some levitating spell, which was what had convinced her that he was telling the truth.

'Thank you,' she said dubiously. 'And you said that you're going to visit Bonnie now, too... is she coming to the school, too?'

Dumbledore chuckled lightly, 'That would be why she received the letter, my dear,'

'Right,' Elena said quickly, feeling slightly stupid.

'There is also something else I would like to confer with you, Miss Gilbert.'

'What is it?'

'Myself and the other professors at Hogwarts school think it would be best that a few of your friends accompany yourself and Miss Bennett to Hogwarts,'

'A few of my friends?' Elena raised an eyebrow. 'Like who?'

'Damon and Stefan Salvatore, Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood, Alaric Saltzman and Jeremy Gilbert are our preferred options,'

Elena hesitated. 'Why do you want them to come?' she asked carefully.

'For protection,' Dumbledore answered simply. 'I do not think you quite realize how important you are, Miss Gilbert,'

'You want all of them there, just to protect me?'

The Headmaster shook his head. 'No, no, there is another very important student attending Hogwarts at this moment. He needs more protection than one could imagine, I do think,'

'Who is he?' Elena asked, curious.

'Time will tell.'

Dumbledore smiled a mysterious smile and stood. 'I must be going. I expect to hear from you before July 31st, Miss Gilbert,'

Elena grinned. 'I think you will,' she said.

**A/N: So, what do you guys think? Like? Not like? Please let me know. :)  
>Thanks for reading! See you all next chapter!<br>~AlisaPhenom. XoXo**


	2. Diagon Alley

**Chapter Two. **

_Dear Albus Dumbledore, _

_Thank you very much for the invitation to your school of magic. After much consideration, we have all decided that we would very much like to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, if you will still have us. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, Damon and Stefan Salvatore, Jeremy Gilbert, Tyler Lockwood, Caroline Forbes and Alaric Saltzman. _

Elena looked over the letter with pursed lips. 'Does that sound stupid?' she asked Caroline, glancing back at her blonde friend.

Caroline smiled. 'Kind of,' she replied. 'But oh, well. We can always say that Tyler wrote it,'

Tyler stared at the letter. 'Did you have to put _all _of our names?'

'Well, it's from all of us, isn't it?' Elena asked defensively, folding the letter in half and popping it into an envelope. She wrote the address that Dumbledore had told her to write to and attached it to the leg of the owl, who had returned just a few moments ago with a letter requesting the RSVP to their invitation. 'And besides, I wrote it quick. It's hardly going to be a work of literary art.'

'It'll do just fine,' Damon said, rolling his pale blue eyes. 'Just send it off already, will you?'

'All right, all right,' Elena said, smiling slightly. She looked at the owl and said, 'Um... go,' she bit her lips when the owl didn't move. 'Uh... could you take this to Albus Dumbledore?' she tried again. To her relief, this time the owl gave a chirp of approval and took off, soaring out the open window.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were excited, Damon,' Stefan said teasingly.

Damon shot a glare at his younger brother. 'Shut up,' he retorted.

Bonnie sniggered. 'Great comeback, Damon,' she mocked.

Damon's eyes flashed as he turned his glare on her. Before an argument could break out, though, Elena intervened, asking, 'What date is it today?'

'The twentieth of July,' Alaric replied, looking over at her. 'Don't worry, Elena, it'll get there in time.'

'Are you sure?' the young brunette asked somewhat nervously, biting her lip.

Jeremy chuckled. 'Stop worrying,' he told his sister. 'Everything will be fine. You know, this is so cool, this whole magic thing.'

'Yeah,' Elena agreed with a smile. 'Isn't it?'

They were all gathered in the living room of the Salvatore Boarding House. It had been twenty days since Albus Dumbledore had paid each of them a visit, explaining their situation, and after a long period of thinking over, the group had decided that they would, in fact, be going to Hogwarts. Bonnie and Elena were both especially excited, seeing as how they both had been the first to get invitations.

'Where did that old man say the school was, again?' Damon asked casually, lounging across the sofa, not leaving any space for anyone else.

Elena rolled her eyes at him. 'Like you can call anyone an old man, Mr 164-year-old Vampire,' she said. 'And he said that it was in the Scotland countryside.'

'So how are we going to get there?' Caroline asked, and then she laughed. 'Broomsticks?'

Bonnie grinned. 'Probably some ultra-cool teleportation method or something like that,' she answered.

Stefan smiled, and then looked at Elena. 'Is your aunt dealing with it any better?'

Elena's own smile faded slightly and she shook her head. 'She's still kind of angry with me and Jer- I don't blame her. If she was the one who was going to be leaving for however long for reasons that she hadn't planned to tell me, I'd be kind of mad, too.'

Damon smirked. 'Only kind of?'

'She'll come around, though,' Jeremy added. 'When the time comes for us to leave, I bet she'll be distraught.'

'Let's _not_ take bets on Jenna's feelings,' Elena said hastily.

The rest of that day was spend chatting excitedly about how wonderful it was going to be when the time came for the group to finally go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even when the day was ending and everyone had gone home, Bonnie and Elena stayed up on the phone, talking about how great it was that they could do magic.

'Do you really think this is real?' Bonnie asked through the phone. 'And not some elaborate prank or something?'

Elena laughed at her friend's doubt. 'Come on, Bonnie,' she grinned. 'Who do you think would actually hold up a prank like that?'

'Good point,' the dark-skinned witch replied, a smile in her voice. 'Did you read the list of supplies that we need?'

'I did,' Elena nodded, eyes darting over to the list that was lying on her bedside table. 'Where on earth do you think we'll buy all of those?'

'Who knows?' Bonnie asked mysteriously, chuckling. 'Maybe Dumbledore will tell us.'

'I hope he does,' Elena murmured, raising an eyebrow, even though she knew Bonnie couldn't see her. 'Or we'll look pretty silly walking round Britain asking where we can buy a wand and a spell book.'

They both laughed. They talked some more about the upcoming events until Elena finally bid her friend goodnight and hung up the phone, large smile on her face.

Come September 1st, they would be Hogwarts students.

Elena couldn't wait.

****OA** **

'Don't forget to write,' Jenna said tearfully, her arms wrapped tightly around her niece's shoulders. Elena cringed in her aunt's embrace; a little affection after a long month of coldness was great, sure, but why did it have to come accompanied by tight hugs and floods of tears?

'I won't, I promise,' Elena said gently, easing herself out of her aunt's grasp and letting Jenna move on to wrap her arms around Jeremy, who looked uncomfortable. It was time for them to get going to Britain, to shop for their supplies and get ready for the magical school year ahead of them.

'I'll be fine,' Jeremy said, sounding like a young child who was insisting to his pushy parents that he was okay to leave the house by himself.

'Okay, Jenna, we _really_ need to go,' Elena said after glancing at the clock, picking up two bag she had packed.

Their Aunt Jenna hiccuped and pressed a hand to her mouth, nodding frantically. 'Of course! Be careful, both of you! Be safe- and have a good time! I love you both!'

Elena smiled. 'Love you, too, Jenna. See you... whenever.'

She and her brother eventually got away from their emotional aunt. When they did, they exchanged a wry glance before they both dissolved into laughter.

'I can hold this to her forever,' Jeremy laughed.

'Oh, don't,' Elena scolded half-heartedly, though she, too, was grinning widely and chuckling. 'She's just upset.'

Jeremy let out another laugh and hoisted his bag further over his shoulder, as it had been slowly slipping down. 'Professor Dumbledore said that he'd... what was it? Foo?'

'Floo,' Elena corrected, smiling at the fact that her brother was already referring to the Hogwarts Headmaster as 'Professor Dumbledore'.

'Yeah, that,' he mumbled. 'He said he'd Floo to us at the boarding house, right?'

'Yeah,' Elena answered, snorting. 'Whatever that means.'

'We'll find out.'

It was a fairly short walk to the Salvatore Boarding House, where the whole gang had promised to meet and to where Dumbledore had said he would 'Floo'. Whatever that meant...

Elena raised her hand to the door, but it swung open before she had a chance to knock. Stood in front of her was Damon, a smirk on his face. 'Hello, Elena and mini-Gilbert,' he greeted, glancing down at Elena's bag. He smirked wider. 'Are you planning on _moving_ to Scotland, Elena?'

Elena rolled her eyes and pushed past the blue-eyed vampire, making her way into the living room, where Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, Alaric and Tyler were sat waiting for them. They all looked up and smiled at Elena and Jeremy as they entered.

'Hey, guys,' Caroline greeted cheerfully, giving them both a little wave. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

'Hi,' Elena replied, grinning widely. 'Ready to go learn some magic?'

'Well, _I'm_ ready to go _further_ my magical education,' Bonnie said with a mock air of haughtiness, waving her hand regally in the air.

'Yeah, yeah,' Jeremy teased, taking a seat next to her and planting a kiss on her cheek. 'Don't rub it in.'

'Ew,' Elena wrinkled her nose, looking away from them and holding a hand up exaggeratedly to block them from her view. 'Not in front of me, please,' she said.

'When's the old guy getting here?' Damon asked with another smirk, interrupting their banter.

Elena frowned disapprovingly at him. 'Didn't I already tell you not to call him old guy?'

'Don't be rude, Damon,' Caroline scowled at the vampire.

He merely smirked. 'Fine. _Dumbledore_, then.'

'You'd better remember to call him that when he gets he-'

But Elena's words were interrupted by a sound coming from the fireplace. A roar of flames, it sounded like- all the humans in the room jumped out their skin, while Damon, Stefan and Caroline merely whipped their heads around the room.

The sound had, of course, come from the fireplace. A set of flames- _emerald green_ flames, Elena noticed- had emerged from the previously unlit fireplace, and a moment later, out stepped a figure clad in long, dark blue robes with long silver hair and a matching beard.

'What the hell?' Damon demanded, having jumped to his feet the moment he had heard the noise.

'Do not be alarmed,' Albus Dumbledore said, holding his arms in front of him, a smile on his face. 'I _did_ tell you that I would be visiting you via the Floo Network, did I not?'

'I...' Elena gaped, temporarily flabbergasted. 'This is a... Floo?'

'Yes,' Dumbledore smiled. 'I hope you don't mind- I had your fireplace temporarily connected to the Network, just so I can access it.'

'You...' Stefan blinked. 'What?'

Dumbledore clapped his hands together merrily, looking at them all. 'Are we ready, then?' He beamed.

Bonnie, as it was, was the first to recover from the previous shock. She smiled hesitantly at the old man, 'Um... sure.'

Dumbledore beamed again and held out his palm, in which he held a small saucer filled with some kind of powder that was a similar silver colour to the old man's beard and hair. 'Excellent.'

****OA** **

Nine separate Floo trips later, they had all arrived in a cold, dark room. A few people turned to look curiously at them when they first tumbled through the fireplace after their dizzying journey, but they quickly lost interest and returned to what they'd been previously doing- eating and drinking, judging from the trays and mugs in front of them.

'I'm not even going to ask what they're eating and drinking,' Caroline whispered to Elena immediately, her nose wrinkled in distaste. 'It smells funny; nothing like normal food.'

'Ah, but what normal food may be to you, Miss Forbes,' Dumbledore interrupted graciously, 'may not be so normal to us wizard folk'

Caroline's cheeks turned a light pink colour and she looked down, falling silent. Tyler smirked slightly and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

'Where are we?' Alaric asked the old wizard, glancing around at his surroundings, just like they all were doing.

'This,' Dumbledore said, gesturing to their surroundings. 'is the Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, London.'

Damon frowned. 'I've never heard of that.'

'I wouldn't expect you to,' Dumbledore chuckled. 'This place, like most of the wizarding world, is strictly for witches and wizards.'

Damon looked slightly put-out as he looked away.

'Welcome, Albus!' a toothless, middle-aged man greeted brightly as he saw them. 'Good to see you! What can I do for you?'

'Hello, Tom,' Dumbledore greeted. 'I would like to rent a room each for my friends and students. Would that be possible?' he asked, gesturing to them all.

'A room each, eh?' Tom frowned and scratched the back of his neck. 'I'm afraid not, no- we're a little busy at the moment. Only got five rooms available. A few of them will have to share...'

'We'll share,' Caroline said immediately, linking arms with both Bonnie and Elena.

Tom blinked. 'Right, then... that's settled, isn't it? We have a nightly charge of fifteen galleons per room.'

Alaric frowned. 'Galleons? What are those?'

'The Wizarding World, my dear friends,' Dumbledore said, 'is a very different place to your Muggle world. Different in many ways- including the currency. We have our own- galleons, sickles and knuts, to be precise.'

'That's... weird,' Tyler said.

The Headmaster chuckled. 'I suppose that, to you, it may be. Thank you for the business, Tom, they'll be able to pay as soon as they get their Gringott's accounts. Shall we move on?' Dumbledore asked, although it was more like a statement than a question, since as soon as the words had left his mouth, he had started striding out of the magical pub.

Elena, Bonnie and Caroline all exchanged confused looks before they started following their new Headmaster out to Diagon Alley.

As she stepped out onto the street, Elena gasped. _Wow, _she thought blandly to herself. The street was lined with shops that had strange names which ranged from Madame Malkin's Robes Shop to Eeylops Owl Emporium.

'This is so weird,' Jeremy was saying to Tyler.

The teenage werewolf mumbled an agreement to Elena's brother, adding, 'It's definitely going to take some getting used to.'

'Where to first, then?' Elena asked, catching up to Dumbledore and looking at him with curious eyes.

'I believe,' Dumbledore said wisely, 'that it would be advisable for you to get your bank accounts first.'

****OA** **

Dumbledore's words were followed by possibly the most exciting and intriguing bank visit that Elena herself had ever been on. They now each had their own bank accounts at Gringott's Wizarding Bank- run by goblins, no less.

'All right, then,' Alaric said, smiling. 'What now? Do we go buy our top hats?'

Dumbledore chuckled, 'I'm afraid not. However, it would be advisable that Miss Gilbert and Miss Bennett get their wands.'

There was a short pause. And then...

'Our wands,' Elena repeated, her step slowing unintentionally. 'Right,' she breathed. 'Wands. Magic school. _Wands_.'

Dumbledore led them all to an old shop that he called _Ollivander's_. Elena raised an eyebrow at the sign as they approached it- _Ollivander's- Makers of fine wands wince 382 B.C.? _Right.

She deliberately slowed her pace and fell into step with Bonnie and Caroline, giving them both a half-excited-half-exasperated glance each. 'Anyone else feeling overwhelmed?' she asked drily.

Bonnie gave her a wry look. 'Nah,' she said, smirking slightly. 'I'm a witch- I'm cool with it.'

'Ah,' Elena grinned. 'But in case you're forgetting, _I'm_ a witch, too.'

Caroline gave her a playful glare. 'Don't rub it in that you're here because you're special and I'm here for protection.'

Elena and Bonnie both laughed. Elena opened her mouth to respond to her vampire friend but stopped when they entered the old-looking shop with peeling gold letters and dusty windows, surprised by the lack of decoration. The inside was practically empty, save for the display sat behind the window, which consisted of a sole wooden stick lying on a faded purple cushion. A spindly chair sat alone in the corner of the shop, and what looked to be thousands of narrow boxes were piled right up to the ceiling. The whole place looked dusty and old.

'Nice place,' Tyler commented sarcastically, earning a disapproving scowl from me. He raised his hands in mock surrender back. Dumbledore merely smiled at our exchange, and then turned to look at a frail-looking old man who suddenly emerged from a back room.

'Garrick,' Dumbledore greeted. 'You have customers.'

'I notice,' the other old man- Garrick?- said, wearing a smile of his own on his wrinkled face. 'Welcome,' he said.

No one spoke; at least, not until Stefan broke the silence with an awkward, 'Um... hey.'

'I would like you all to meet Mr. Ollivander, one of the finest wand-makers in Britain, I say,' Dumbledore said. He turned to look at Elena and Bonnie, who both immediately straightened up. 'He will get each of you your wands, which I trust you will both be able to pay for with your newly acquired money. Myself and your friends will wait outside. Do feel free to take your time.'

And with that, he had ushered the others outside before leaving himself. Elena and Bonnie once again exchanged a look and then both turned to look at Mr. Ollivander, who was smiling kindly at both of them.

'Shall we?' he said. 'Which of you would like to get your wands first?'

'I will,' Bonnie said boldly, stepping forward.

'And you would be...?'

'Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett.' Bonnie smiled, a tad nervously. 'So... what do I do?'

Ollivander nodded and stepped forward, whipping a tape measure out of his trouser pocket and holding it up against Bonnie's arm. He nodded again and, without another word, turned and scurried off back to the room he had been in before Elena and the others had arrived. Elena frowned and went to ask where he had gone, but it was just as the word _where_ had left her lips that Ollivander returned, carrying a thin white box similar to those piled up in the corner.

He gently removed the lid of the box and lifted out a long, thin stick. 'This,' he said, as if talking about a prized possession, 'is an 11 and a half inch wand, made with ebony wood and a core of Dragon Heartstring. Would you try it, Miss Bennett?'

'Um, sure,' Bonnie said, taking the wand out of Ollivander's hands. She looked down at it with a frown. 'What do I do?'

Ollivander chuckled. 'Do what feels natural, Miss Bennett.'

'O_kay_...'

Bonnie hesitantly held the wand in front of her, and then closed her eyes. She looked to be concentrating hard- but nothing happened.

After a few moments of stranding like this, Bonnie turned to Ollivander. 'Nothing happened,' she said, stating the obvious. 'When I usually use magic, I can _feel _it. I couldn't feel anything with this... did I do something wrong?'

'No, no,' Ollivander shook his head, looking amused, apparently choosing not to question how Bonnie 'usually used magic'. He didn't seem to be questioning anything, actually. 'You're doing nothing wrong, dear. You just need to try another wand... and keep trying, until one chooses you.'

'Chooses me?' Bonnie frowned. 'Like... like it has a free mind of its own?'

'Exactly,' Ollivander smiled mysteriously, and returned the wand to its box before turning to the large pile and carefully taking one from it. 'Try this one. Nine inches, vine wood, Veela hair core.'

Bonnie tried the wand, looking disappointed when, once again, it didn't work. Then she tried the next, then the next, and then the next... until, on what Elena counted to be the sixth try, Bonnie tried a wand of eight and a half inches made with willow wood and a core of Dragon Heartstring and out of her wand shot a series of blue sparks. Elena was the only one who seemed surprised; the shock made her cry out and almost fall out of the spindly chair she was sat in.

Bonnie laughed out loud. 'This is it!' she exclaimed. 'I felt it! I really felt it! It felt- _wow_,' she giggled again.

Ollivander's eyes sparkled and he smiled. 'Excellent, Miss Bennett- that wand is particularly good for charms. That will be eight galleons, if you please.'

Bonnie grinned again and fished around in her jeans pocket for the money she had gotten from Gringott's and eventually pulled out eight galleons. She handed them to Ollivander, who thanked her and then turned to Elena. 'And now you, Miss...?'

'Gilbert,' Elena said shakily, standing up and wiping her sweaty palms against her jeans. Damn nerves. 'Elena Gilbert.'

Ollivander smiled and measured her right arm, then turned and pulled another box from the pile. 'Try it,' he said kindly, handing her the wand inside.

Elena did. Nothing happened. She tried again- the same result. It took her eleven tries, during which she began to seriously wonder if Dumbledore had perhaps made a mistake in asking for her, before she finally found the wand for her. The dust that was on the thin, now-empty box rose into the air and swirled prettily around.

'Ah,' Ollivander murmured, 'Thirteen inches, mahogany, Unicorn hair. A powerful wand, I might say.'

Elena raised an eyebrow but grinned, exhilarated from the feeling of power that had filled her when she'd used the wand. 'That was... awesome.'

'Indeed it was,' Ollivander nodded. 'The wand is yours. Ten galleons, please.'

Elena gave the old man the money without commenting about how her wand was more expensive than Bonnie's, smiling and thanking him.

'Goodbye, Mr. Ollivander,' she said, slipping the wand into her jeans pocket and keeping her hand there, just in case she lost the thing. She already felt strangely protective of it- like losing it would make her weak. Which, she supposed, it would.

They left the shop. As promised, Dumbledore and the others had waited patiently- or rather impatiently, in Damon, Tyler and Caroline's case- for them outside Ollivander's shop.

'Are we done? Excellent,' Dumbledore said, blue eyes twinkling as he smiled. _How on earth does he do that_? Elena asked herself, bemused. 'Moving on- I think school robes will be needed next.'

Alaric had the school supplies list in his hand. He nodded as Dumbledore said this. 'Yeah. Where do we go for those?'

Alaric seemed genuinely curious about all this, like it was purely a learning experience. He was the only one who had really asked questions and taken the time to actually check the list of things they needed. Elena smiled at his enthusiasm- always a teacher at heart.

'Madame Malkin's Robe Shop makes rather excellent robes,' Dumbledore said, leading them away.

'Oh- isn't that the shop that we passed before?' Elena asked.

'Indeed it is.'

The next few hours passed with the gang buying everything from robes to books to quills, and Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and Jeremy even elected to get pets.

'Why not?' Elena had asked, grinning. 'I always wanted a pet, but Jenna's allergic, and my mom used to hate having animals in the house.'

Elena had bought a brown and white barn owl which she named Kyra, while Jeremy decided to get a white rat, naming him Pharlo- 'They're not vermin- just misunderstood!' he had insisted after much objection from the girls- and both Bonnie and Caroline got cats. Bonnie's was a black and sleek feline named Mary, and Caroline's male cat, Lissanda, was fluffy and clearly excitable. Both cats had hissed and spat at Tyler the moment that they saw him.

'That would be any animals natural reaction to the werewolf inside you, Mr. Lockwood,' Dumbledore said comfortingly. 'Do not be offended.'

'By a pair of cats?' Tyler snorted, although he did edge away from the cats whenever he could.

'That's it, then,' Elena sighed, exhausted, 'are we done shopping now?'

'Thankfully, yes,' Dumbledore chuckled lightly. 'You can return to the Leaky Cauldron, where you can stay overnight. I will come to collect you in the morning, and you will board the train to Hogwarts. Term will begin. Does anyone have any questions?'

His eyes darted over to Alaric at this last question. The vampire hunter frowned, looking defensive, and stepped back slightly.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together, looking away. 'Excellent! I trust you will all be able to pay your fifteen galleons to Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron?'

'Of course,' Damon replied, curling his lip, presumably at being talked to as if stupid. 'We're not children, you know- we know how money works.'

'I shall take your word for it,' Dumbledore smiled, unfazed. 'And you can make your way back to-'

'Yes, yes,' Damon waved his hand impatiently. 'We can take it from here. Bye.'

'Damon!' Elena gasped, appalled. 'Don't be so rude!'

The blue-eyed vampire merely rolled his eyes, and Dumbledore smiled kindly. 'Goodbye, then. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.'

On the final word, the Hogwarts Headmaster spun on the spot and then disappeared with a _pop_ping sound.

'Now _that_,' Bonnie said, breaking the long silence that had followed. 'Was awesome.'

**A/N: Hmm... I could have done better. But whatever. Hope you liked the chapter!  
>Also, <span>please check out TheElegantFaerie's other challenges! She has a lot of Inuyasha crossover challenges, as well as a few Buffy and Vampire Diares crossover challenges. Check them out!<span>  
>All right... I would like to thank my first two reviewers, TheElegantFaerie (Duh, the story is <span>her<span> challenge) and Shannon The Original. So, thanks! :D Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think!  
>~AlisaPhenom. XoXo<strong>


	3. Sorting

**Chapter Three. **

The next day came by quicker than any of the group expected. Dumbledore, as promised, came to collect them from their rooms in the Leaky Cauldron and took them to a place called King's Cross Station. No one had a problem with any of it; it was only when the Headmaster of Hogwarts mentioned Platform Nine and Three Quarters that Damon let out a disbelieving snort and cocked an eyebrow.

Dumbledore merely glanced at the dark-haired vampire, blue eyes twinkling in that strange way. 'After all you have witnessed of the magical community,' he said, sounding quite amused, 'you choose to disbelieve that?'

Damon said nothing; he simply smirked and looked over at Elena, a familiar _He's Crazy_ look on his face. Elena scowled at him and mouthed, _Behave_.

'I don't get it either, though,' Caroline admitted. 'There can't _be_ a Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Look- there's nine, and there's ten. I...'

But the blonde had trailed off, stopping in her tracks with wide blue eyes and a gaping mouth. Her luggage cart made a piercing squealing noise as it came to a sudden halt in front of her, and her cat gave a sharp hiss as it leapt to the floor. Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy and Tyler had stopped, too, their expressions similar to Caroline's.

'Did that kid just run through a wall?' Elena asked, dumbstruck.

Dumbledore smiled serenely, making a sweeping gesture with his arm. 'After you.'

****OA** **

'Crazy,' Jeremy announced as he collapsed back into his seat on the train, clutching a handful of random sweets he had just purchased from the trolley. 'This whole magical world is _crazy_.'

However much they had tried, they hadn't all been able to fit into one carriage, so they had split into two groups; Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy and Tyler stayed in one carriage, while Damon, Stefan and Alaric took the carriage right next to theirs.

'You can say that again,' Tyler muttered, glancing anxiously at Bonnie's carefully poised cat.

Elena merely smiled and looked out the window, admiring the beautiful view of the Scottish countryside as they passed. She had never been to Britain before. She was certainly glad that she had the chance now.

'Want a bean, Elena?'

Jeremy's voice broke Elena away from her scenic distraction, and she looked over with a raised eyebrow. 'What?'

Her little brother was holding out a purple box labelled _Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans_. He shook it slightly to emphasise his previous question. Elena frowned at the packaging, and then at her brother. 'What are they?'

'They're jellybeans... take one.'

'What flavours are there?'

A small smirk flickered up on Jeremy's face as he said, 'Oh, you know- just the usual. Take one and find out.'

A sudden coughing noise came from Bonnie- who, coincidentally, had just taken a bean for herself. She coughed and spluttered for a moment before taking a deep, hoarse breath and saying, '_Ew_!'

'Are you okay?' Jeremy asked, although he didn't look the slightest bit concerned. In fact, he looked more amused than anything- definitely foul play.

'What- was- _that_?' Bonnie asked breathlessly, making a disgusted face and digging through the pile of candies for a drink.

'If this is correct...' Jeremy said slowly, looking at the box of beans. '_That_ was an earthworm flavour bean.'

There was a short pause before Bonnie let out a loud screech and started searching more frantically for a drink. She finally found one, and Elena didn't think the other witch actually bothered to taste the orange-coloured liquid she frantically gulped into her mouth.

'I'm not having one,' Elena announced, shaking her head.

'Aw, go on, Elena,' Tyler said pleadingly. 'Live a little.'

'I'll take one,' Caroline said, grinning as she reached her hand out to take a bean. 'But _I'm_ picking it.'

Jeremy frowned. 'But it won't be any fun if you take it; you're a vampire, you won't react as badly as Bonnie or Elena.'

'Well, I'm not exactly going to sit here and enjoy the taste of worms, either,' Caroline said, rolling her eyes and popping a dark red bean in her mouth. She chewed for a moment before smiling indulgently. 'Blood flavour...'

'Gross,' Jeremy muttered, taking his box back and looking for a new exciting candy to try. Elena returned her gaze to the window for a few minutes.

'How long do you think it'll be until we're there?' she asked curiously after a while, glancing back into the carriage at the others.

Bonnie shrugged. 'Who knows?'

'I hope it's soon,' Tyler said.

'Excited, are we?' Caroline asked teasingly.

'Nothing wrong with that,' the werewolf said defensively. They all chuckled, and the silence returned for a few moments as everyone got on with their own thing. Caroline played with Lissanda, her cat, Bonnie flipped through the grimoire she had brought with her, Jeremy ate, Tyler read and Elena stared out the window. It wasn't awkward in the carriage. Everyone was comfortable with the silence.

****OA** **

Just a few moments after Damon, Stefan and Alaric entered the carriage, they received company. Company in the form of a pudgy-looking boy with a round face and a blonde girl wearing the strangest pair of earrings- if Damon wasn't mistaken, they were literally a pair of radishes. She also donned a pair of strange glasses. They were a little like 3D glasses, but... different. The only way to describe them, really, was _strange._

'Can we help you?' Stefan asked, frowning slightly.

'May we join you?' the blonde girl asked in a far-away voice. 'No one in any of the other carriages want us.'

Damon exchanged looks with his brother and Alaric, before the latter said, 'Of course.'

The two sat down. The girl sat next to Damon- too close for his liking. He scooted away slightly, frowning at her. She seemed to be in a world of her own. There were a few minutes of rather awkward silence before the round-faced boy said, 'I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom. I, er... haven't seen any of you at Hogwarts before. Are you new?'

'Vampires,' the girl stated. A dreamy smile lit up her face and she looked over at Damon. 'No offence. But you are vampires, aren't you?'

'How did you know that?' Stefan asked, leaning forward, his frown deepening. Damon didn't reply; he just gave the blonde girl a threatening look.

She looked pleased with herself, and the smile brightened. 'My daddy taught me how to recognize vampires,' she stated. She then added in a conspiratorial whisper, 'Did you know that Rufeus Scrimgeor is a vampire, too?'

Damon's eyes narrowed. 'We don't know who that is,' he spat.

The girl didn't look at all put off. In fact, she looked quite satisfied, although Damon had no idea why. This girl was seeming more and more strange by the second. 'I'm Luna Lovegood, although a lot of people just call me Loony.'

'Are you really vampires?' the pudgy boy called Neville blurted out suddenly, wide-eyed and looking just a little frightened.

Damon smiled widely. Finally, someone who was _scared_ of what he was. 'You'll find out soon enough,' he replied, satisfied when the human swallowed thickly and edged further away from Alaric, who looked slightly offended.

'I'm not a vampire,' the hunter said reassuringly to him.

'Don't worry, Neville,' Luna said dreamily, that far-away look back on her face. 'They're good vampires. They're not going to hurt us.'

'And how do you know that?' Damon asked challengingly, giving her a glare.

She smiled at him. 'If you wanted to kill us, you would have already, wouldn't you? Any other vampire would have.' There was a slight pause before she added, 'And besides, if you were a bad vampire, you'd have Nargles swarming around your left ear. I can't see any.'

Once again, Damon, Stefan and Alaric all exchanged a look.

It was going to be a long train ride.

****OA** **

The two groups finally rejoined each other when they reached Hogwarts. They were separated from the rest of the students and led to Dumbledore's office by a stern-faced woman wearing emerald green robes. Elena noticed that she eyed Damon, Stefan and Caroline in the most untrusting of ways; it was genuinely frightening. She'd introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall, and Elena felt more intimidated by her than she had by any vampire she'd ever met before.

'Lemon drops,' McGonagall said when they reached the gargoyle statuesoutside Dumbledore's office. It immediately moved aside, for reasons Elena couldn't quite figure out, and the group were allowed entrance into the Headmaster's office. McGonagall waited outside.

When he saw them, Dumbledore smiled and got to his feet. Elena would have returned the smile, but she was too busy gazing around his office in complete awe. The place was wonderful. The room was circular with more windows than she could count. _Moving _portraits of men and women- witches and wizards, Elena corrected herself- adorned the wall, the biggest of which being a portrait of Dumbledore himself. Many spindly tables were dotted around the room, on which laid many books and some silver instruments which Elena couldn't name if she tried. The most noticeable thing in the room, though, was the magnificent red bird, caged right next to Dumbledore's desk.

'Wow,' she heard Bonnie breathe. It was safe, she thought, to assume that the others were feeling the same as her.

'Welcome to Hogwarts,' Dumbledore said, bringing Elena's attention back to him. 'I trust that you had a safe journey?'

'It was fine,' Alaric said.

'Ah, excellent,' the old man nodded. 'The Welcome Feast will begin shortly; but before that, you must be sorted into a house.'

'A house?' Bonnie asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Here at Hogwarts, all students are sorted into four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. The house you are put in depends on your personality. This will be explained further at the Sorting Ceremony.' Dumbledore paused. 'While I understand that only Miss Gilbert and Miss Bennett will be attending Hogwarts as students, I feel it will be beneficial for you all to be sorted into houses.' He smiled again, clapping his hands together. 'Now, do any of you have any questions? No? Marvelous! Off we go, then.'

****OA** **

The events that followed the group's gathering in Dumbledore's office were strange indeed. They were led by Professor McGonagall down to join a large crowd of first year students. Then they entered the Great Hall, and were wowed by the sheer _magnificence_ of it. And, of course, the singing hat on the teacher's table.

All eyes were on them in particular, as they were clearly the oldest out of all the students who were being led to the Sorting Ceremony. Elena's eyes scanned around the hall until her brown eyes locked on with a pair of steely grey ones, and she found that she couldn't look away. The eyes belonged to an aristocratic-looking blond boy sat at the end table, which was filled with students in, according to what the song was saying about it, Slytherin house. The house of green and silver. After a few more moments, Elena finally tore her gaze away from the boy's and looked over at Bonnie, a nervous smile on her face. Bonnie grinned back, not looking particularly nervous; just excited.

Dumbledore made an announcement to tell the students about the group's arrival and their purpose at Hogwarts. He told everyone, to Elena's own surprise, about Damon, Stefan and Caroline being vampires, but assured the students _and_ teachers that they wouldn't harm anyone.

Then it was time for them and the first years to be sorted. By the hat. _By. The. Hat. _The singing, and apparently talking hat. Elena shook her head slightly, running a hand through her hair; she figured it was best to take these things as they came. No one else seemed surprised by the talking hat. There were probably more surprises in store anyway; for all of them.

Names were called, in alphabetical order- Bonnie's was the fourth to be called. She made her way up to the stool, still not looking nervous. Elena admired her friend's calm and collected exterior, inwardly wishing she could be the same way. Calm. Cool. Collected.

The hat was placed on Bonnie's head. Like with the previous three times, there was a hush in the Great Hall. Everyone watched, eager to find out the mysterious new pupil's house. There was a moment or two of that complete silence before the Sorting Hat shouted, 'Ravenclaw!'

There was a series of cheers from the Ravenclaw table. From what Elena had heard in the Sorting Hat's song, Ravenclaw was the house for the 'witty and wise'- suitable for Bonnie, then. Bonnie smiled brightly as the hat was removed from her head and she made her way over to the table decorated with blue and bronze.

More names were called out. Caroline was the next in their group to be sorted; she muttered, 'Here goes,' before making her way up to the school and letting the hat be placed on her head. After just a few moments, the sorting hat gave a cry of, 'Hufflepuff!'

Caroline grinned and made her way over to the cheering table of yellow. Hufflepuff- according to the hat, it was the house for the loyal and kind. Well, that _definitely_ suited Caroline.

A few more names were called- then Elena's. Her eyes widened slightly as she made her way to the stool. What house would she be in? Maybe it'd be revealed that it was all a mistake, and she didn't have magic at all...

_Stop thinking like that, Elena, _she mentally scolded herself. _You'll be fine. _

The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and she was surprised to find its wise, old voice murmuring into her mind. 'A brave soul,' it said. 'Loyal and brave, stubborn and selfless. Better be... Gryffindor!'

The hat was taken off her head, and Elena made her legs walk her over to the clapping and cheering Gryffindor table. She took a seat at random next to a pretty girl with bushy brown hair and matching eyes. In truth, Elena was just relieved to have been actually sorted. She turned to watch with a smile as Jeremy was sorted next. 'Gryffindor!' it shouted almost as soon as the hat was placed on his head. He grinned widely, then came over to join Elena at the table of red and gold.

'Does this mean I won't be able to get away from you at all any more?' he murmured to her.

'Oh, yes,' she chuckled.

Tyler was next. He was sorted into Slytherin- the house of the ambitious and cunning. Slytherin would have been a pretty good choice for Caroline, actually- cunning, ambitious. But Caroline _was_ loyal and kind.

'Saltzman, Alaric!' Alaric made his way up to the stool. It was quite a comical sight to see him perched on the tiny stool; he looked like a nervous little boy with a growth deformation. There was just a single moment before the hat cried, 'Slytherin!'

So Alaric was joining Tyler.

Next was Damon. He walked to the stool with more confidence than any of the others, his natural swagger making most of the girls around Elena swoon. She rolled her eyes at this. Trust Damon to make half the girls in the school fall for him within his first hour here. The hat had only just been placed on his head when it shouted, 'Slytherin!'

Damon smirked, and suddenly, it was like everyone completely forgot that he was a vampire. Their fear disappeared, and the Slytherin table clapped and cheered.

'Three Slytherins in a row,' Elena heard the bushy-haired girl she was sat next to whisper to two other boys. 'That can't be good news.' One of the boys had blue eyes and red hair; the other had messy black hair and eyes the most startling shade of green Elena had ever seen. She looked at them for a few moments, slightly unhappy that her friends were being talked about in what sounded like a negative way, before turning back to watch Stefan being sorted straight after his brother.

The pause between the hat being placed on Stefan's head and it calling out its house choice for him was considerably larger than anyone else's in their group. It was almost like it was a tough decision, placing Stefan in a house. What were his strongest attributed- bravery, kindness, intelligence or cunning? After what felt like forever, it finally called out, 'Hufflepuff!'

Stefan smiled. He got off the school and made his way over to join Caroline at the table of yellow and black. So the hat had decided on kindness- kindness and loyalty. Apperently, they were Stefan's strongest attributes. Quite accurate, really. Elena had never met a more moral and trustworthy vampire in her life.

That was it, then. All of them had been sorted, and none of them were particularly unhappy with their choices. More students were sorted until the list ended with Dylan Zaki, and then a great feast was laid out on the table before all of them. It was amazing. Once she was finished, Elena felt confident that she'd never eaten a better meal in her life.

So far, she was loving Britain.

****OA** **

It was later in the evening, when she was on her way up to meet Bonnie in her Common Room so they could talk about the exciting day they'd had, that Elena ran into them. Into _him_.

It was her fault, really- she hadn't actually been looking where she was going, too focused on remembering the directions she'd received from the Head Girl, who just so happened to be the bushy-haired Gryffindor girl she'd sat next to at the Feast.

Just before her foot reached the first step on the stairs, her body collided with something that felt suspiciously like _another_ body. She looked up, wide-eyed and with an apology ready on her tongue, and saw that it was _him_. The boy she had locked eyes with before. The Slytherin. The blond-haired, grey-eyed Slytherin with the aristocratic face and the mouth which was currently sneering down at her.

'Watch where you're going, Gilbert,' he spat. He had two people with him, a boy and a girl. Elena could already tell the girl was annoying, by the high-pitched giggles that were pouring from her mouth. The boy was tall and black, and he remained quiet even as the girl giggled.

_How does he know my name? _Elena thought dazedly, before snapping out of it and remembering that her name had been called out quite clearly in the Great Hall earlier.

Her eyes narrowed, and she met the boy's gaze once again. She wouldn't let herself be pushed around by someone she didn't even _know_. 'Maybe you should watch where _you're_ going,' she snapped, before pushing past him indignantly and making her way up the stairs.

**A/N: I'm _reeeeeeaaaaally _sorry about the late chapter. I would offer a full explanation, but I'm really in a hurry because my sister's about to turn the internet off and I want to get this chapter uploaded. I hope you liked, and I'm really sorry!  
>~AlisaPhenom. XoXo<strong>


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